Vest hold-down system for ballistic resistant vest

ABSTRACT

A vest hold-down system for ballistic resistant vests includes a form fitting elastic lower body undergarment having a waist portion, a crotch portion, and leg portions, with strips of hook-and-loop fastener material on the front and rear portions; and an upper body vest made of flexible fabric having a front member with lateral side portions which extend around the sides of a wearer and are releasably connected with a back member, elastic shoulder straps connecting the front and back members which extend over the wearer&#39;s shoulders, and pockets in the front and rear members and lateral side portions which receive ballistic resistant pads or panels. A pair of laterally adjacent generally rectangular front flaps of flexible fabric extends downwardly from the front member and terminates a distance below the wearer&#39;s waist, and at least one generally rectangular rear flap of flexible material extends downwardly from the back member and terminates a distance below the wearer&#39;s waist. The front and rear flaps are releasably engaged on the front and rear portions of the undergarment by mating elements of the hook-and-loop fasteners. The elastic undergarment and shoulder straps prevent excessive pulling forces on the shoulders and crotch area of the wearer and prevent excessive movement of the vest relative to the body which may otherwise impede or interfere with the wearer&#39;s movements or expose the wearer to injury when engaged in strenuous physical activity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to bulletproof garments, and moreparticularly to a vest hold-down system including an undergarment andballistic resistant vest combination which are releasably attached tomaintain the vest in a comfortable position and prevent the vest frommoving during physical activity.

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

Law enforcement, security, and military personnel faced with possiblelife threatening situations often wear "bulletproof" or "ballisticresistant" vests when performing their duties. The conventional"bulletproof" or "ballistic resistant" vest is usually worn beneath theuniform shirt or jacket and is formed of a flexible lightweight fabricmaterial such as Nylon having a front member and back member that areprovided with pockets into which relatively stiff generally rectangularballistic resistant pads or panels are removably installed. Commonballistic resistant pads or panels are formed of bulletproof orballistic resistant material such as KEVLAR (tm) manufactured by DuPontCompany of Wilmington Del., or SPECTRA SHIELD (tm) manufactured byAllied Signal Inc., of Morristown, N.J. These relatively stiff pads orpanels cause the vest to become semi-rigid and move relative to the bodyof the wearer.

Thus, the conventional bulletproof or ballistic resistant vests with thestiff pads or panels installed will ride up toward the chin of thewearer when the wearer assumes a sitting position such as driving apatrol car, and will move relative to the body when the wearer isengaged in strenuous physical activity such as running, climbing,bending over, or struggling to apprehend a suspect, which in some casesmay impede or interfere with the wearer's movements and may expose thewearer to serious injury.

There are several patents which disclose various bulletproof, ballisticresistant, or protective vests.

Stone et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,073,985 and 5,331,683 disclose ballisticresistant vests having a front and rear flap of the flexible lightweightfabric material which extend downwardly a distance beyond the waistportion of the front and rear panels, respectively. These flaps aretucked into the trousers of the wearer in the manner of "shirt tails"and are intended to hold the vest in place when the trousers belt isfastened around the waist. However, the flaps are uncomfortable as theybecome wadded up and tend to slide up upwardly out of the trousers asthe person wearing the vest with the rigid plates installed assumes asitting position or is engaged in strenuous physical activity. The frontflap is a large single rectangular piece of material which requires malewearers to drop their trousers or to move the large flap to one sidewhen using a urinal.

Braunhut, U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,069 discloses a modular ballisticresistant garment having a strap harness onto which various bodyprotecting panels or pads are attached using hook and loop and elasticfasteners. There is no provision for preventing the garment from ridingup on the wearer.

Lewis, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,314 discloses a ballistic resistant jacketconsisting of a back panel, left and right front panels in combinationwith side portions, and a permanent collar which are adjustably attachedtogether using hook and loop and elastic fasteners. Floatationaccessories are also provided which attach to the jacket. An accessoryleg strap is provided for use when the floatation accessories areinstalled to assure the wearer is maintained in a floating survivalposture. The leg strap is a Y-shaped configuration having a base strapreleasably connected to the back panel which passes beneath the crotchand between the buttocks and two branch straps which are releasablyconnected to the front panels. The leg strap is connected to the vestpanels by bayonet buckle type fasteners.

Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,788 discloses a rescue vest having a backportion, left and right front portions, and shoulder portions with groinstraps attached to the lower ends of the front portions which enable aperson to be lifted by means of the vest. The groin straps extend fromthe front portions, loop around the wearer's legs, and are connectedagain to the front portions with a buckle assembly.

Miles, U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,847 discloses a zippered vest having aresilient foam insert for protection while participating in varioussports activities. The vest is held in position by right and left crotchstraps which are anchored to the back portion of the vest by a metalring and at the front of the vest just forward of the hip bone by a leftand right ring buckle.

The leg straps and groin straps of the prior art are unsatisfactory foruse for extended periods of time and would be extremely uncomfortablewhen sitting, and also when the wearer is engaged in strenuous physicalactivity such as running, climbing, bending over, or struggling toapprehend a suspect, and in some cases may impede or interfere with thewearer's movements.

The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general,and these patents in particular by a vest hold-down system for ballisticresistant vests which includes a form fitting elastic lower bodyundergarment having a waist portion, a crotch portion, and leg portions,with strips of hook-and-loop fastener material on the front and rearportions; and an upper body vest made of flexible fabric having a frontmember with lateral side portions which extend around the sides of awearer and are releasably connected with a back member, elastic shoulderstraps connecting the front and back members which extend over thewearer's shoulders, and pockets in the front and rear members andlateral side portions which receive ballistic resistant pads or panels.A pair of laterally adjacent generally rectangular front flaps offlexible fabric extends downwardly from the front member and terminate adistance below the wearer's waist, and at least one generallyrectangular rear flap of flexible material extends downwardly from theback member and terminates a distance below the wearer's waist. Thefront and rear flaps are releasably engaged on the front and rearportions of the undergarment by mating elements of the hook-and-loopfasteners. The elastic undergarment and shoulder straps preventexcessive pulling forces on the shoulders and crotch area of the wearerand prevent excessive movement of the vest relative to the body whichmay otherwise impede or interfere with the wearer's movements or exposethe wearer to injury when engaged in strenuous physical activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a vest hold-downsystem for ballistic resistant vests which will not impede or interferewith the wearer's movements when engaged in strenuous physical activitysuch as running, climbing, bending over, or struggling to apprehend asuspect, which might otherwise expose the wearer to serious injury.

It is another an object of this invention to provide a vest hold-downsystem for ballistic resistant vests which prevents excessive movementof the vest relative to the body of the wearer when being worn.

Another object of this invention is to provide a vest hold-down systemfor ballistic resistant vests which will prevent the vest from riding uptoward the chin of the wearer when the wearer assumes a sitting positionsuch as driving a vehicle or sitting at a desk or table.

Another object of this invention is to provide a vest hold-down systemfor ballistic resistant vests the utilizes stretchable elastic shoulderstraps and an elastic undergarment which provides a comfortable fit andeliminates excessive pulling forces on the shoulders and crotch or groinarea of the wearer.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a vest hold-downsystem for ballistic resistant vests which is simple in construction,economical to manufacture, and is safe and reliable in use.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to timethroughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.

The above noted objects and other objects of the invention areaccomplished by a vest hold-down system for ballistic resistant vestswhich includes a form fitting elastic lower body undergarment having awaist portion, a crotch portion, and leg portions, with strips ofhook-and-loop fastener material on the front and rear portions; and anupper body vest made of flexible fabric having a front member withlateral side portions which extend around the sides of a wearer and arereleasably connected with a back member, elastic shoulder strapsconnecting the front and back members which extend over the wearer'sshoulders, and pockets in the front and rear members and lateral sideportions which receive ballistic resistant pads or panels. A pair oflaterally adjacent generally rectangular front flaps of flexible fabricextends downwardly from the front member and terminates a distance belowthe wearer's waist, and at least one generally rectangular rear flap offlexible material extends downwardly from the back member and terminatesa distance below the wearer's waist. The front and rear flaps arereleasably engaged on the front and rear portions of the undergarment bymating elements of the hook-and-loop fasteners. The elastic undergarmentand shoulder straps prevent excessive pulling forces on the shouldersand crotch area of the wearer and prevent excessive movement of the vestrelative to the body which may otherwise impede or interfere with thewearer's movements or expose the wearer to injury when engaged instrenuous physical activity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the undergarment and vest of the vesthold-down system in accordance with the present invention shown in anunassembled condition.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the outward facing side of the frontmember of the upper body vest.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the inward facing side of the frontmember of the upper body vest.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the outward facing side of the backmember of the upper body vest.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the inward facing side of the back memberof the upper body vest.

FIG. 6 is longitudinal cross section through the front and back membersof the upper body vest positioned adjacent to the undergarment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown inFIG. 1, a preferred vest hold-down system 10 for ballistic resistantvests, in an unfastened condition. The vest hold-down system 10 has aform fitting lower body undergarment 11 and an upper body vest 20.

The undergarment 11 is made of panels of soft flexible elastomericfabric material and includes first and second leg portions 12 joinedtogether by a crotch panel defining a crotch portion 13 which extendsfrom the front to the rear of the undergarment. In a preferredembodiment, the leg portions 12 extend several inches below the crotchportion 13 and are hemmed at their lower ends 14, in the fashion of atight fitting athletic short, however, it should be understood that theundergarment may have shorter leg portions, or leg openings, in thefashion of briefs.

An elastic waist band 15 is sewn to the top ends of the leg and crotchpanels 12 and 13. In an embodiment for male wearers, a closable fly 16is formed in the front of the crotch portion 13. In an embodiment forfemale wearers, the crotch portion would not require a fly.

The undergarment is preferably formed of a resilient stretch fabricblend, such as 95% cotton and 5% spandex, to closely conform to thelower body of the wearer. It should be understood that other blends andresilient stretch fabrics may also be used.

A first pair of strips 17 of one element of hook-and-loop fastenermaterial are secured to the front of the undergarment 11 to extendvertically downward from the waist band 15 along the front of the legportions 12. A second pair of strips 18 of one element of hook-and-loopfastener material are secured to the rear of the undergarment 11 toextend vertically downward from the waist band 15 along the rear of theleg portions 12. The strips 17 and 18 are approximately 3/4" wide andabout 6"-8" long and are secured by conventional means such as sewing.

The upper body vest 20 includes a front member 21 and a back member 30.The front and back members 21 and 30 are each made of an outer sheet andan inner upper and inner lower sheet of flexible fabric material such asNylon or a fabric blend such as polyester and cotton which aresuperposed and sewn together along their peripheries (describedhereinafter) to form an envelope configuration.

Referring additionally to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the front member 21 of thevest 20 has a U-shaped cutout at its top end defining a neck portion 22and its lateral sides curve downwardly and outwardly from the top end todefine outwardly extending laterally opposed side portions 23. A pair ofrectangular strips 24 of one element of hook-and-loop fastener materialare secured to the front or outer facing surface of the front member 21,one on each side of the neck portion 22. A pair of strips 25 of oneelement of hook-and-loop fastener material are secured transverselyacross the front of the front member 21 and side portions 23 in parallelvertically spaced relation. A generally rectangular front flap 26 issecured at its top end to the bottom end of the front member 21 andextends a distance downwardly therefrom. A vertical slit 27 divides thefront flap 26 into a pair of laterally adjacent front flaps 26A and 26B.A pair of rectangular strips 28 of one element of hook-and-loop fastenermaterial are secured to the undersides of the front flaps 26A and 26B,one along each outer longitudinal side of each front flap.

The hook-and-loop strips 28 on the front flaps releasably engage thehook-and-loop strips 17 on the front of the leg portions 12 of theundergarment (FIGS. 1 and 6). In the engaged or fastened condition, theslit 27 overlies the fly 16 in the crotch portion 13 of the undergarment11 and the front flaps 26A and 26B overlie the front of the leg portions12. Thus, front member 21 of the vest 20 is anchored to the front of theundergarment 11 by the front flaps 26A and 26B. The front flaps 26A and26B also move with the leg portions 12 of the undergarment 11 andrelative to one another.

The front member 21 is made of an outer sheet 21A and an inner uppersheet 21B and inner lower sheet 21C of the flexible fabric materialwhich are superposed and sewn together along their peripheries to forman envelope configuration. The outer sheet 21A has the shape asdescribed above with the U-shaped neck portion 22 at its top end andlateral sides curved downwardly and outwardly from the top end to definethe outwardly extending laterally opposed side portions 23. The innerlower sheet 21C of the flexible fabric has the same general shape of thelower portion and side portions 23 of the outer sheet 21A and issuperposed on the inner facing side of the lower and side portions ofthe outer sheet 21A, and is sewn to the inner facing side of the frontsheet along its bottom and side edges, and its top edge is open to formthe lower portion of a large pocket 21D. The inner upper sheet 21B hasthe same general shape as the upper and side portions of the outer sheet21A and is superposed on the inner facing side of the upper and sideportions of the outer sheet, and is sewn to the inner facing side of theouter sheet along its top and side edges. The bottom edge of the innerupper sheet 21B terminates a distance below, and overlaps the top edgeof the inner lower sheet 21C.

Several rectangular strips of mating hook-and-look fastener material aresecured along the top edge of the inner lower sheet 21C and the bottomedge of the inner upper sheet 21B, such that the bottom edge of theupper sheet can be releasably fastened to the top edge of the lowersheet in the overlapped relation. Thus, the inner upper and lower sheets21B and 21C form a large pocket 21D on the inner facing side of thefront member 21 with an closable opening extending transversely acrossthe inner lower portion of the front member. The overlapped openingfacilitates insertion of a ballistic pad or panel P into the largepocket 21D (described hereinafter).

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 6, the back member 30 of the upperbody vest 20 is made of flexible fabric material and has a U-shapedcutout at its top end defining a neck portion 31 and its lateral sidesextend downwardly from the top end. A pair of rectangular elasticshoulder straps 32 are secured at one end to the upper end of the backmember 30 and each has a rectangular strip 33 of one element ofhook-and-loop fastener material secured to its free end. A pair ofrectangular elastic waist straps 34 are secured at one end to the backmember 30 adjacent its lateral sides to extend laterally therefrom inparallel vertically spaced relation and each has a rectangular strip 35of one element of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to its freeend. A generally rectangular rear flap 36 is secured at its top end tothe bottom end of the back member 30 and extends a distance downwardlytherefrom. A pair of rectangular strips 37 of one element ofhook-and-loop fastener material are secured to the underside of the rearflap 36, one along each outer longitudinal side.

The hook-and-loop strips 37 on the rear flap 36 releasably engage thehook-and-loop strips 18 on the rear of the leg portions 12 of theundergarment 11. In the engaged or fastened condition, the rear flap 36overlies the rear and leg portions 12 of the undergarment 11. Thus, theback member 30 of the vest 20 is anchored to the rear of theundergarment 11 by the rear flap 36.

Although the rear flap 36 is illustrated as a single flap, it should beunderstood that the rear flap may also be slit and divided into a pairof laterally adjacent rear flaps in the same manner as the front flapsdescribed above. In this modification the pair of adjacent rear flapswould move with the leg portions 12 of the undergarment 11 and relativeto one another.

The back member 30 is made of an outer sheet 30A and an inner upper 30Band inner lower sheet 30C of the flexible fabric material which aresuperposed and sewn together along their peripheries to form an envelopeconfiguration. The outer sheet 30A has the shape as described above withthe U-shaped neck portion and lateral sides which extend downwardly fromthe top end. The inner lower sheet 30C of the flexible fabric has thesame general shape of the lower portion of the outer sheet 30A and issuperposed on the inner facing side of the lower portion of the outersheet, and is sewn to the inner facing side of the outer sheet along itsbottom and side edges and is open at its top end to form the lowerportion of a large pocket 30D. The inner upper sheet 30B has the samegeneral shape as the upper and side portions of the outer sheet 30A andis superposed on the inner facing side of the upper and side portions ofthe outer sheet, and is sewn to the inner facing side of the outer sheetalong its top and side edges. The bottom edge of the inner upper sheet30B terminates a distance below, and overlaps the top edge of the innerlower sheet 30C.

One or more rectangular strips 38 of mating hook-and-look fastenermaterial are secured along the top edge of the inner lower sheet 30C andthe bottom edge of the inner upper sheet 30B, such that the bottom edgeof the upper sheet can be releasably fastened to the top edge of thelower sheet in the overlapped relation. Thus, the inner upper and lowersheets 30B and 30C form a large pocket 30D on the inner facing side ofthe back member 30 with a closable opening extending transversely acrossthe inner lower portion of the back member. The overlapped openingfacilitates insertion of a ballistic pad or panel P into the largepocket 30C (described below).

As best seen in FIG. 6, front and back ballistic pads or panels P, areremovably installed in the large pockets 21D and 30D in the front andback members 21 and 30, respectively. The ballistic pads or panels P areformed of bulletproof or ballistic resistant material such as KEVLAR(tm) manufactured by DuPont Company of Wilmington Delaware, or SPECTRASHIELD (tm) manufactured by Allied Signal Inc., of Morristown, N.J.These ballistic resistant pads or panels are commercially available andtherefore the details of their construction are not shown or describedin detail.

In a preferred embodiment, the front ballistic pad or panel P has thesame general shape as the front member 21 of the vest 20 including theside portions 23, and the back ballistic pad or panel P has the samegeneral shape as the back member 30. The conventional ballistic pads orpanels P are approximately 3/4" thick and are relatively stiff andheavy. Each of the pads or panels is installed by inserting its top endthrough the overlapped opening of the large pockets 21D and 30D in therespective front or back member 21 and 30 and pushing it upwardly intothe upper portion of the respective member. The lower end of the pad orpanel is then inserted into the lower portion of the large pocket in therespective member. After the ballistic pads or panels have beeninstalled, the large pockets 21D and 30D are closed by pressing theoverlapped edges of the pockets together to engage the matinghook-and-loop fasteners. It should be understood that several ballisticpads or panels having different shapes may be installed in the largepockets rather than a single pad or panel in each pocket.

The front and back members 21 and 30 of the vest 20 are connectedtogether by engaging the hook-and-loop fasteners 33 at the free ends ofthe elastic shoulder straps 32 with the mating hook-and-loop fasteners24 at the top end of the front member 21. The vest 20 is then supportedon the shoulders of the wearer with the front member 21 and rear member30 draped over the chest and back of the wearer. The shoulder straps 32may be adjusted as necessary so that the lower end of the members 21 and30 are positioned at the wearer's waist area and the flaps 26A, 26B and36 extending below the waist. One laterally extending side portion 23 ofthe front member 21 is wrapped around the side of the wearer and held inposition while the hook-and-loop fasteners 35 at the free ends of theelastic waist straps 34 extending from the back member 30 are engagedwith the mating hook-and-loop fasteners 25 at the lower portion of thefront member 21. This procedure is repeated for the opposite side andthe waist straps 34 may be adjusted as necessary so that the sideportions 23 are connected with the back member 30 and the vest 20 iscomfortably engaged around the waist of the wearer.

After the vest is properly fitted to the torso of the wearer, the frontflaps 26A and 26B and rear flap 36 are connected to the front and rear,respectively, of the leg portions 12 of the undergarment 11 by engagingthe hook-and-loop fasteners 28 and 37 at the lateral sides of the flapswith the mating hook-and-loop fasteners 17 and 18 along the front andrear of the respective leg portions. The flaps 26A, 26B, and 36, and theshoulder straps 32 may be readjusted as necessary so that wearer canassume a comfortable sitting position.

Thus, the vest 20 with the heavy relatively stiff ballistic pads orpanels installed is supported on the shoulders of the wearer,comfortably encircles the waist, and is anchored or held in place by theundergarment 11.

Although the relatively stiff pads or panels cause the vest to becomesemi-rigid, the vest is anchored to the undergarment and excessivemovement of the vest relative to the body of the wearer is prevented.Thus, law enforcement, security, and military personnel equipped withthe present vest hold-down system can carry out their duties without theproblems associated with conventional ballistic resistant vests.

Because the vest is anchored to the undergarment, the vest will not rideup toward the chin of the wearer when the wearer assumes a sittingposition such as driving a patrol car, and will not move relative to thebody when the wearer is engaged in strenuous physical activity such asrunning, climbing, bending over, or struggling to apprehend a suspect,which in some cases may impede or interfere with the wearer's movementsand may expose the wearer to serious injury. The combination of theelastic shoulder straps at the top end of the vest and the elasticundergarment connected at the lower end also allow the wearer to assumevarious positions without excessive pulling forces on the shoulders andcrotch or groin area.

While this invention has been described fully and completely withspecial emphasis upon a preferred embodiment, it should be understoodthat within the scope of the appended claims the invention may bepracticed otherwise than as specifically described herein.

I claim:
 1. A vest hold-down system for ballistic resistant vestscomprising in combination:a form fitting lower body undergarment made ofsoft elastic material having a waist portion, a crotch portion, front,rear, side, and leg portions, and a first and second pair of laterallyspaced strips of one element of hook-and-loop fastener material on saidfront and rear portions, respectively; an upper body vest made offlexible material having a front member, a back member, lateral sideportions interconnected with said front and back members to extendaround the sides of a wearer, elastic shoulder straps interconnectedwith said front and back members to extend over the wearer's shoulders,and pockets in said front and rear members and said side portions forreceiving panels of ballistic resistant material; a pair of laterallyadjacent generally rectangular front flaps of flexible materialextending downwardly from said vest front member terminating a distancebelow the wearer's waist, at least one generally rectangular rear flapof flexible material extending downwardly from said vest back member andterminating a distance below the wearer's waist, and a third and fourthpair of laterally spaced strips of a mating element of saidhook-and-loop fastener material on said front and rear flaps,respectively, to releasably engage said first and second pair oflaterally spaced strips of hook-and-loop fastener material on said frontand rear portions of said undergarment.
 2. The vest hold-down systemaccording to claim 1 further comprisingpanels of ballistic resistantmaterial removably installed in said pockets in said front and rearmembers and said side portions.
 3. The vest hold-down system accordingto claim 1 whereineach one of said first pair of said laterally spacedstrips of one element of hook-and-loop fastener material is secured to afront surface of a respective one of said undergarment leg portions, andeach one of said second pair of laterally spaced strips of one elementof hook-and-loop fastener material is secured to a rear surface of arespective one said undergarment leg portions; and each one of saidthird pair of laterally spaced strips of said hook-and-loop fastenermaterial is secured to a respective one of said pair of laterallyadjacent front flaps such that each one of said front flaps moves withsaid respective said leg portions and relative to one another.
 4. Thevest hold-down system according to claim 3 further comprisinga closablefly in a front portion of said crotch portion; and said pair oflaterally adjacent generally rectangular front flaps extend downwardlyfrom said vest front member to define an opening therebetween overlyingsaid closable fly.
 5. The vest hold-down system according to claim 1whereineach one of said second pair of laterally spaced strips of saidhook-and-loop fastener material is secured to a rear surface of arespective one of said undergarment leg portions.
 6. The vest hold-downsystem according to claim 5 whereinsaid at least one generallyrectangular rear flap comprises a pair of laterally adjacent generallyrectangular rear flaps of flexible material extending downwardly fromsaid vest back member terminating a distance below the wearer's waist;and each one of said fourth pair of laterally spaced strips of saidhook-and-loop fastener material is secured to a respective one of saidpair of laterally adjacent rear flaps such that each one of said rearflaps moves with said respective said leg portions and relative to oneanother.
 7. The vest hold-down system according to claim 1 whereinsaidvest lateral side portions are integral with said front member, at leastone fifth pair of strips of one element of hook-and-loop fastenermaterial is secured one to an outer surface of each said side portion;and at least one pair of rectangular elastic waist straps each securedat one end to a respective opposed lateral side of said back member toextend outwardly therefrom and each said waist strap having a strip of amating element of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to its freeend; said vest front member lateral side portions extending around thesides of said wearer and releasably connected with said back member byengaging said strips of hook-and-loop fastener material at the free endsof said waist straps with said at least one fifth pair of strips ofhook-and-loop fastener material on said lateral side portions.
 8. In avest hold-down system for ballistic resistant vests, an undergarmentcomprising:a form fitting lower body undergarment made of soft elasticmaterial having a waist portion, a crotch portion, front, rear, and sideportions, and leg portions, and a first and second pair of laterallyspaced strips of one element of hook-and-loop fastener material on saidfront and rear portions, respectively; each one of said first pair ofsaid laterally spaced strips of one element of hook-and-loop fastenermaterial is secured to a front surface of a respective one of saidundergarment leg portions, and each one of said second pair of laterallyspaced strips of one element of hook-and-loop fastener material issecured to a rear surface of a respective one of said undergarment legportions, and said first pair of laterally spaced strips ofhook-and-loop fastener material positioned on said front surface toreleasably engage strips of mating elements of hook-and-loop fastenermaterial secured to laterally adjacent front flaps extending downwardfrom a waist portion of an upper body vest, and said second pair oflaterally spaced strips of hook-and-loop fastener material positioned onsaid rear surface to releasably engage strips of mating elements ofhook-and-loop fastener material secured to a rear flap extendingdownwardly from the waist portion of the upper body vest.
 9. Theundergarment according to claim 8 further comprisinga closable fly in afront portion of said crotch portion.
 10. In a vest hold-down system forballistic resistant vests, an upper body ballistic resistant vestcomprising:an upper body vest made of flexible material having a frontmember, a back member, lateral side portions interconnected with saidfront and back members to extend around the sides of a wearer, elasticshoulder straps interconnected with said front and back members toextend over the wearer's shoulders, and pockets in said front and rearmembers and said lateral side portions for receiving panels of ballisticresistant material; a pair of laterally adjacent generally rectangularfront flaps of flexible material extending downwardly from said vestfront member terminating a distance below the wearer's waist, at leastone generally rectangular rear flap of flexible material extendingdownwardly from said vest back member and terminating a distance belowthe wearer's waist, and a first and second pair of laterally spacedstrips of one element of hook-and-loop fastener material on said frontand rear flaps, respectively; said first and second pair of laterallyspaced strips of hook-and-loop fastener material positioned on saidfront and rear flaps to releasably engage strips of mating elements ofhook-and-loop fastener material secured to front and rear portions of anundergarment worn by said wearer.
 11. The vest according to claim 10further comprisingpanels of ballistic resistant material removablyinstalled in said pockets in said front and rear members and saidlateral side portions.
 12. The vest according to claim 10 whereinsaid atleast one generally rectangular rear flap comprises a pair of laterallyadjacent generally rectangular rear flaps of flexible material extendingdownwardly from said vest back member terminating a distance below thewearer's waist.
 13. The vest according to claim 10 whereinsaid vestlateral side portions are integral with said front member, at least onethird pair of strips of one element of hook-and-loop fastener materialis secured one to an outer surface of each said side portion; and atleast one pair of rectangular elastic waist straps each secured at oneend to a respective opposed lateral side of said back member to extendoutwardly therefrom and each said waist strap having a strip of a matingelement of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to its free end; saidvest front member lateral side portions extending around the sides ofsaid wearer and releasably connected with said back member by engagingsaid strips of hook-and-loop fastener material at the free ends of saidwaist straps with said at least one third pair of strips ofhook-and-loop fastener material on said lateral side portions.